Friends, Flipping and Forgetting

The word of the week is inestimable.

Oct 28 - Brevity

I'm cutting back on the blog's entry length for the next few months.

There's a lot for me to do and I don't have as much time as I'd like to do it in. So I'll have to find some time here and there every day and one way to do that is to spend less time writing this blog every week. Considering that not so many people are still reading the blog every week, compared to previous months or years, it's no great loss, I think.

Not to say I won't be putting entries, but as regular readers will know, I don't have a lot going on right now that's overly interesting to put in. Which means that apart from capturing a few of the more interesting thoughts gamboling through my head, I won't be saying much here until the new year.

At least.

Oct 29 - UnHappy

It's funny how sometimes you need someone else's perspective on your own life.

A friend of mine who read my blog on a regular basis sent me back a very insightful e-mail about my present state of mind. He said I'm not sad, but rather I am un-happy.

That's a very interesting thing to say, I think.

In contrast, a friend of mine posted this picture on FBook:

Right now, I know I'm not that friend. I'm quiet, introspective and live a lot in my thoughts while observing everything going on around me. When I do come out of my shell, I know my smile and energy can light up the room - I'm working towards making those two sides of myself into a whole.

Oct 30 - Forget Failure?

Friends are great: they send you links like this one.

That also relates to this link, which is all about understanding how fear failure is often worse than failure itself. Fear and worry quite often combine forces to dance hand-in-hand through my head and I have to find a way to march to a different beat.

Worrying accomplishes nothing save using energy that could be better put towards more positive things.

Have a look at both of those links, they're definitely worth taking the time to read.

Oct 31 - No Candy

Halloween was very, very quiet this year for me - same as last year.

I didn't end up going out at all and have shelved my costume until next year. Yet I really 

love this particular 'holiday' and it's grown on me even more since I was a kid. The idea of being able to take on another completely different persona by putting on a costume and going around in public among other people doing the same thing is breathtakingly refreshing.

Which is kind of like cosplay but sanctioned only once a year instead of at a convention. If I had more time and more money, I would definitely get into cosplaying, as it seems really have taken off in the last few years as more than just an odd hobby.

What I'll probably do is just compile a list of costumes that I'd like to create at some point and leave it at that. When my ship comes in, I'll be able to get right into creating a bit of my own fantasy in our shared reality - the thought really appeals to me.

Nov 1 - SIX years already?

Last year, I wrote a lot about having spent half a decade now in BC.

I won't go into any detail this year, as it would be just a little redundant and I'm sure by now some of you are sick of hearing about it. But I'm not sick of living in BC; not even close.

The climate, the people and quite a few other things all combine to make it a wonderful place to reside.

Sure, I'd love to be well into a writing career that pays all my bills and allows for comfortable lifestyle, but that's coming. I'm not planning on moving unless I have no other choice in order to make a living, which I don't want to do if it means taking somebody else's marching orders in order to get paid.

I'm at a crossroads right now: my writing has to get to the point where it's self-sustaining. Where I have the time and the energy each day to create something that will end up being worth selling as my creative work. Which I can do from anywhere in the world, when you think about it.

But I'd rather do it from right here in BC.

Nov 2 - Flip the switch

I really want to get better at my day job, but I can't spare the time.

There is the option to watch some of the hundreds of training videos that are available through the company website while at home, but I'm not convinced the end justifies the means.

Even if I watched every single video while taking copious notes, I still wouldn't be much closer towards making a better hourly wage when I was done. I'm certain that I would be better at my job, day-to-day, but there are JUST as many far more specific details that need to be learned while on the job that aren't covered in the videos.

The perfectionist in me wants to drive as far down the training road as possible, while the realist in me realizes that if I tried then the wheels would simply come off the car from the sheer amount of time and effort required - with results that aren't commensurate. Yet I still despise the idea that I'm not doing my absolute best at something... but I have other things to do that require my best.

Right now, I do my job well enough that it only generates some stress and friction every day.

That'll have to do while I focus my efforts on my writing and not on perfecting my personal performance needs for my rather paltry paycheque.

Nov 3 - All Over Again

Sunday nights used to be all about The Simpsons for me.

Not anymore. The shows been on so long that they've pretty much coverage everything that can happen to the average American family, even with all the craziness that a cartoon show can allow.

I pretty much lost interest somewhere around the 15th season, when the writing wasn't so sharp and you could see that the show was struggling to find itself a little each episode.

However, I'm pleased to say that The Simpsons has managed to raise the quality of the episodes it makes in the last few years. My favorite parts though have always been the title intro, which always finishes with the family ending up on the couch in the living room watching TV.

Tonight's episode spoofed The Hobbit rather nicely:

Sad to say, this week the show lost one of their most recognizable voice talents: Marcia Wallace, who voiced the character of Edna Crabapple and many others. She will be missed.

I'm writing this brief blog in between getting home from work and going to sleep before getting up At 6 AM to work again. Today was a very trying day and I'm going to work hard tomorrow ( on top of working hard ) to take today's difficulties in stride while enjoying the fact that I'm employed. And that I can still write with my voice, at least.